Helsinki Curious

We invited three curious artists from London, Berlin and Tokyo to illustrate the city based solely on their own imaginations and the stories of those who have visited. The condition and an additional challenge for the artists were: no prior visits to Helsinki, no Google searches, guidebooks, or any visual cues.

Yet, the artists were not completely without assistance. We gathered stories from friends of Helsinki worldwide, serving as guidance of inspiration for the artists. Additionally, they had the opportunity to meet Helsinki visitors from their respective hometowns in person. 

Helsinki deserves greater recognition and tourism for its appealing attributes: quality of life, vibrant lifestyle, and natural surroundings. However, despite Finland have been in the news a lot recently, Helsinki is still visited less than its Nordic peers. To find out how well our target personas from London, Berlin and Tokyo know Helsinki, we conducted the survey, Helsinki Curiousity Index 2022 to gauge their familiarity and curiosity about Helsinki.

The survey unveiled a significant curiosity about Helsinki. While only a fraction had visited Helsinki, a whopping 92% are curious to visit in the future. 

In the final artworks, we witness three uniquely different Helsinki, pushing the boundaries of reality and imagination. The illustration brief presented an unprecedented challenge: the artists had little prior knowledge of Helsinki. Yet, through their interviews and the tales shared by individuals, the city’s secrets began to unravel.

These curiosity journeys were turned into an online documentary series following the unorthodox artistic process and culminated in an exhibition at the Helsinki Design Week 2022 attended by the public, international journalists and the artists themselves. 

• Creative concept
• Multi-channel campaign planning
• Visual Design
• PR
• Social Media
• Event Planning and Production